Whether this phrase be the word of G-d or Sun Tzu, it is
solid advice.
It is even better when your enemy actually tells you that he
is your enemy and tells you that you must beware. So, you may be asking… How
does this relate to Israel?
Well, earlier this month when speaking to Hizbollah affiliated T.V. (Al –
Mayadeen) in Lebanon,
Jabril
Rajoub, a member of Fatah’s Central Committee had this to say:
"We the Palestinians are the enemies of Israel….….."At present, we are satisfied by the popular resistance," Rajoub added, but explained, "We the Palestinians are a source of concern for Israel. We are in this country, and this country is ours. They are our enemy and our battle is against them.”……."Until now we have not had nuclear weapons, but in the name of Allah if we had nuclear weapons, we’d be using them”.
And there we have it or do we?
Is this all there is to this commentary?
Are the Palestinians really so die-hard that they are the mortal enemies of Israel and can’t
live in peace with the Israelis? For a guy like Jibril who signed on to the Geneva Initiative, is this really his
stance? I think it is important that we understand what is really going on
here.
First of all, we need to determine what
made Jibril say this, particularly now. Is it that he merely needed to tell the
truth and it needed to burst out or is there more to it? I believe there is. Of
course, I actually do believe that Jibril is talking about how he sincerely
feels. You don’t make a comment with such far reaching implications like that
if you don’t mean it.
That said, I can think of a number of
reasons though why he made that comment, and here they are:
1. Domestic
Political Considerations: Unity Government talk brokered by Qatar
is in the air and as of today, Hamas and Fatah have agreed to form a unity
government within three months (for the 873rd time </snark>).
What does this mean? This means that now Fatah is competing with Hamas for who
can be the voice of “the resistance” against the Israelis. Remember there are
two recent polls out that show the Palestinian Polity supports “armed
resistance” as either a first or second choice of tactics against the Israelis.
In the latest Pew
Poll (cited
here)
“Palestinians are more likely to say armed struggle is the best way for their people to achieve statehood (45%) than they are to say negotiations or nonviolent resistance offer the best prospect for the creation of a Palestinian state (15% each). Another 22% volunteer that a combination of these three approaches would be most effective.”
This coupled with a high favorability rating for radicals
like Islamic Jihad (58%) is forcing Fatah (who does enjoy a strong position in
the polls) to move it’s position to one that is more radical. Hamas and
Palestinian radicals are constantly hammering Fatah and Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas as collaborators or as “lap dogs” for the Israelis. I think this
kind of rhetoric is geared to stem that in part.
2. Regional
Considerations: I think another part of this is the unrest that once
again is roiling throughout the region with the rise of Islamist parties. Look
where Jibril gave this interview. On Hizbollah T.V. Look at what is happening in Egypt and in Jordan
within their parliaments particularly with the rise of Islamist Political
movements, where these people who have Peace Treaties with Israel are
demanding their governments abrogate their agreements. The P.A. (or P.L.O.)
does not want to get caught outside of these movements that are threatening to
either force regime change or force regime radicalization in the region.
Of course, don’t forget Syria. Either way Syria is
heading for a more radical future. If Assad wins the revolution, he will have
his Iranian masters and his Hizbollah allies to thank. If the Palestinians in Syria and Lebanon
don’t radicalize with regards to Israel
they will be facing a ton of problems in how they are perceived by Beirut and Damascus.
IF Assad loses well then, there will be an al-Qaeda state which will then push
to radicalize Jordan.
What will happen to the Palestinians then if they are seen as being allies with
Israel?
Related to this, remember who is hosting Palestinian reconciliation
talks: Qatar.
Who just decided to bankroll Hamas and Egypt? The Qataris. Oh yes, and who
is financing the Syrian Rebellion. Yep, that would be Qatar. They are
using their economic power to become a broker in the region. Jibril is seeing
an opportunity for the broke Palestinian Authority to “get his foot in the door”.
Keep in mind that right now there is strong unrest focused on the P.A. for not
paying wages to civil servants.
So, one has to look at what Jibril is saying and understand
against the regional backdrop of what is happening.
Does this excuse anything he said? Absolutely not. It is
quite obvious that the Palestinian Polity (or at least those who lead the
Polity) have zero interest in settling the conflict permanently with the Israelis
in a peaceful manner. I think there are those in the P.A. / P.L.O. that would settle
for a peaceful Two State Solution, but, only as an interim step towards a Palestinian State
from the Mediterranean to the Jordan.
And, given that only 29.3% of the
Palestinian polity supports a Democratic One State Solution where Jews and
Arabs live together in peace, I think there is very little that currently speaks
to a permanent peace solution from the Palestinian side.
Interestingly enough there are reports that Prime
Minister Netanyahu spoke to the P.A. regarding the Olmert plan last year in
a secret meeting. So there is that…
In the end is Jibril “grandstanding”. Maybe. Still, one
would hope that someone in the Palestinian polity would stand up and say “What
the…. NO!”. If there has been this reaction I haven’t seen it.
So yes, until there is a denunciation by the Palestinian
leadership for this remark AND I can’t see that coming from a unified Fatah,
Hamas, PIJ leadership… I think the phrase “Know thine enemy is quite
appropriate.
